Besancon. Para-climbing: an international course in the Marie-Paradis room

Twelve high-level athletes, supervised by their respective staff, under the direction of Aristotelis, national coach of the French team para-climbing and his counterpart Christina confronted the routes prepared for the occasion by the two international openers, at the Salle Marie-Paradis in Besançon. Two days of great preparation in this discipline with three specialties, speed, difficulty and bouldering.

Extreme climbers

Anne Vignot, mayor of Besançon, accompanied by Abdel Ghezali, 1st deputy in charge of sports and André Terzo, in charge of sport and disability, came to greet and encourage these extreme climbers. Anne Vignot was delighted to see this course take place in this exceptional equipment: “It is a great pleasure to live this event on our territory and which highlights this beautiful room of escalation. I salute the will of these athletes who work together to achieve their dream, to achieve the best in this spirit of living together. I would like to thank Entre-temps escalade for allowing these meetings where everything is built on this spirit of welcoming everyone, sport leisure, sport competition, sport health”.

“It prepares us for the next competitions and the 2028 Olympics”

Eric Simon, President of the association Meanwhile, recognizes that the work carried out for years now offers great prospects “Host an international para-climbing course rewards the investment of all my teams, of the more than 500 members, this success is a dream made a long time ago”. Erwan, 19, climber for the French team, is in heaven in front of the climbing walls and blocks “My first reaction on entering was “Wow!”, it’s crazy the possibilities there are here. We came to try movements that we don’t usually do, it prepares us for the next competitions and the 2028 Olympics, games in which I dream of participating.

Aristotelis and Christina appreciate the welcome, but especially the Marie-Paradis room. “There is no such room in Paris, I had invited Germany and Spain for this course, only Italy was able to come. It’s an exceptional tool, and this joint training is a real first and I’m happy that it’s here in Besançon,” said the French coach.

Two productive days

Christina joins him on this point and completes “These two days have been productive, we have come to work on new techniques specific to our discipline, our openers have done wonders”. These setters, Julien and Yoris took three days to install them. Mélissa, the French climber, and Michelé, the Italian climber, take a breather between two climbs. Hands full of magnesia, they analyze their stay, with one voice, they announce that the course is a success “We came to progress and we did it, the room also has a lot to do with it”.